Preparing for Rain

Once there were two farmers.  During a severe drought, each farmer prayed to God asking for rain.  After praying, one farmer went about his day; the other farmer went into his fields and started preparing his crops.  Which farmer had faith in God?

This story, albeit paraphrased, is from the movie Facing the Giants.  I hadn’t seen that movie in a few years when it happened to be part of the lesson plan on a day I subbed at my daughter’s school.  Although there are so many good lessons within that movie, this one has stuck in my head for several weeks.

My family has undergone some major life changes in the last four years.  I decided to stay home with my children, then three-and-a-half and six-months.  Number Three came along two-and-a-half years later cramming five people into a home that only comfortably fits four.  My hubby left a part-time job that truly was our “living” money- groceries, gas, etc.  Now, my husband will be going to a new job that is better for the family, but not for our bank accounts. We are now going to be living on about one-third of what we had just four years ago. I am having a hard time adjusting. Well, let's face it- I am Freaking! Spazzing!

My FAITH and my DOUBT (which I believe is the opposite of faith) have been in constant battle.

My DOUBT is telling me:

• that no family can survive on our new budget
• that we have too much debt (Dave Ramsey can’t even help)
• that there is too much output and not enough input
• that not good things are going to happen to our family
• that our world will fall apart
• that we will be living in a van down by the river. 

The Slippery Slope to our family’s destruction!

My FAITH is showing me:

• that God will provide (Philippians 4:19)
• that God keeps his promises (Joshua 23:14)
• that God will not forsake me and my family (Deuteronomy 31:6)
• that God is more powerful than me (Luke 18:27)
• that God will bless our family more than I could ever imagine (James 1:17)
• that God will give me the strength to overcome my doubt (Isaiah 41:10)

I do believe that my faith is strong, but there are times when it wavers and doubt fills my soul. Still, I do believe that God will take care of our family. His blessings come in all shapes and sizes and through conventional and unconventional methods. I just hope that I can be a pillar of faith for my family as we venture through this new and exciting time in our journey.

Faithful Fridays: "Good Morning"

If the radio is on in the car, it is tuned to K-Love.  I have listened to K-Love for about five years now (maybe longer), and I love it.  One of my favorite songs right now is "Good Morning" by Mandisa. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE this song. When it comes on, I dance and dance and dance. In fact, you pull up beside my car when it is playing, you would be a little afraid that I was having a seizure.  I have to admit I do look a little ridiculous.

The other morning on the way to take Melody to school, she says, "I hope that 'Good Morning' doesn't come on."

"Aww, sweetie, why not?"

"I don't like it."

"What?!  Girl, you just don't know what it good."

Ironically, the next song really was Good Morning. I laughed; she groaned.  I turned up the music, told my kids to dance, and started grooving.  Tucker started swaying back and forth before I even said anything.  Judson reluctantly started dancing simple because he wanted to look as silly as I did.  Melody sat there, almost stone faced, looking like she wished she could disappear.  Then, it dawned on me- she didn't NOT like the song, she didn't like me dancing. I was embarrassing my daughter.

Lots of things started going through my brain:

• the mom in me- payback for all those top-of-the-lungs potty announcements
• the little girl in me- empathy for all those times my mom embarrassed me (sorry, Mom)
• the realist in me- she is going to be embarrassed by me- just a part of growing up
• the mean girl in me- good grief, she'll get over it.

One other thought came to my mind, as children we experience embarrassment of our mothers and fathers. However,  as adults, how many of us experience embarrassment of our Heavenly Father?  Are we afraid to telling others that we are believers? Christians? followers of God's Word? Are we more worried about what others think about us instead of what God thinks about us? My daughter loves me- that is not the question.  She is worried that someone will see her crazy momma dancing like a fool and place judgment upon her.

The thing is Melody will dance when we are at the house. No one can see her except her family. We often fall into a similar situation. In the safety of our home surrounded by family, we have no problems defending our beliefs and faith.  The true test is when we are surrounded by those who may not believe. We will often find ourselves in a situation where we have to choose: to "hide" for fear of ridicule or to "dance" along and embrace our God. "So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord." (2 Tim 1:8a) I think this fits this problem. We should not be embarrassed by our Heavenly Father. He loves us, died for our sins when He did not deserve it, and is alive today proving that He defeated death. That is a message that we cannot keep to ourselves. His Spirit lives in His believers, and by our actions we show His love and share His word. 

I will still continue to dance and sing when "Good Morning" comes on the radio, and for a while, Melody will still be embarrassed by my spastic dance moves.  However, hopefully, along the way, she will listen to the words of that song, and understand that I dance for the Lord, too. She will see that I am not embarrassed by my Creator. Then, maybe, she will start dancing, too.